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Kalen Gentz
Kalen Gentz is the commander of the Second Vanguard unit under the command of Drake Uni Amirales, Supreme General Magnus of the Empire of Koridai. Strong willed and fierce, she is a seasoned, veteran warrior of the highest caliber, having previously served under The Admiral of the Forsaken Fortress as the leader of his secret and highly trained Crimson Corps unit. She is loyal to almost an obsessive degree to her commanding officer, as well as to her fellow Vanguard commanders, having an especially close kinship to her fellow Fortress refugee and ally Rafael of the Cerulean Corps, her counterpart in the Admiral's machinations for the world. History Early Life Kalen was born to a poor but loving couple on the small island of Darkmount, in the Lalvician Sea. Unfortunately for her, said loving parents were murdered mere months after her birth, as she was taken in by the bandits who did the deed in some sick twisted sort of glee, with some rather terrible plans for her when she grew older. Unfortunately for them, however, being raised in a destructive, rough environment only accomplished turning her into a rough but deadly fighter, as she watched and learned from the torture and sadistim her captors enacted on herself and others. What goes around truly well does come around, as one night she picked the locks to her handcuffs and slaughtered the lot, her skills with the massive rusty sword that the idiotic thieves had left in her holding pen impressing the dying bandit leader before he too was rendered inhuman by the mad Kalen. Regainign her senses after the bloodlust, the young woman stole away whatever scraps of worthwhile arms and armor she could take from the petty thieves and sailed around the ocean, raiding and pillaging to survive and quell her insatiable urge to do battle. She was no fool, not some mad dog twisted by growing up in a horrific environment, but she was no analytical thinker either. She was a blunt instrument, with nothing to direct her fury but a temproary mercenary gig or her own purpose. She lived this life for a good few years, earning a reputation on the open seas as a slayer of anyone who looked in her general direction "funny" or otherwise. One day, however, she picked on the wrong trade ship, bound for the infamous Forsaken Fortress. Warrior of the Crimson Corps Needless to say, this bunch of pirates was markedly different from the usual sea dogs she preyed upon. While she did dispatch of the first couple who stood in her way, Kalen soon found herself being completely outwitted and outrun, and it ended soon enough with her in shackles, blinded, and being dragged through the hallways of the Fortress. For reasons that will remain with him to the end of time, The Admiral had demanded this insufferable wench be taken before him. She was resistant to his questioning, and merely bided her time to escape her shackles. Still, she was forced to eat humble pie once again as the Admiral dodged each of her usually lethal blows and incapacitated her with a few choice blows. Even so, he once again let her live, which puzzled Kalen immensely. Soon this puzzlement grew to curiosity, both on what kind of man this Admiral truly was, and upon seeing that the men who defeated her were in fact physically weaker then she. Here, her wild, firey rage was honed into a single, deadly precision, as she struck against the dissenters who dared raise their voice against the wisdom of the Fortress leader. This sudden shift in attitude from irritated, contemptuous prisoner to near fanatical loyal pirate paid off, as soon the Admiral summoned her and the equally protective Rafael to his throne room, bestowing upon them the secret formation of the Cerulean and Crimson Corps. These twin units would be his personal guard to quell any uprisings or dissent, or to otherwise be used as the Admiral saw fit, and the two were selected to lead them. Having met prior to this clandestine meeting, Kalen already realized that Rafael complimented her weaknesses and shortcomings rather well, and vice versa, and she gladly accepted, owing her now newfound ability to use the strength and fury she was naturally gifted with to its fullest use. Escape to Koridai and the Vanguard All went well for Kalen, until the Fall of the Alliance. Accompanying the Admiral during the siege of its capital, they had made their way into the city in tandem with the rest of the invasion force, but were halted by the Admiral himself. For one reason or another, he commanded both corps to fall back to the city walls, and with nary an explanation disappeared into one of the ruins of what had once been some sort of government building. Puzzled, Kalen and Rafael nonetheless obeyed, picking off the pathetic stragglers of this allegedly mighty Alliance military. However, it became obvious to everyone that something was horribly wrong, despite the percieved accomplishment of the mission. Kalen had noticed that it had begun in some of her units as a sort of dizziness spell, but it soon became apparent that it was something far more horrifying. With no warning, some of the more rowdy pirates of the fortress seemingly went mad, attacking one another and both Kalen and Rafael. It was foolhardy, of course, but the fact that they even did so did not bode well, as the warrior herself began to feel as if someone or something was attempting to tug away at the funneling of her rage and fury, goading her to wear away the training and focus she had gained in her service to the Fortress. Soon enough, orders supposedly from the Admiral himself came down to flee, away, to the sea, and beyond the imaginary borders of the Lalvician sea she had called home. Typically, she would have questioned such an order, but given the circumstances and the fact that she had just cut down a fair number of her own crazed men, retreat was tactically the best course of action, though it took a grab and pull from Rafael onto her crimson armored shoulders to shake any thoughts of searching for the Admiral away. As such, they fled, notably in the same direction as the Admiral's personal bodyguard, and sailed, until they could feel the tugging and baiting no more. Kalen had a lot to think about on that long, hard journey, especially after meeting up with what seemed to be the rest of the Fortress' denziens, similarly fleeing from the island citadel they had all called home. The Admiral had in fact appeared there one final time, and ordered the complete and utter evacuation of the mighty stronghold, save for himself. His reasoning was unknown, but most of the stories, told over the alcohol rescued from the Fortress' cellars (which Kalen happily partook in consuming) shared a similar ending - on the ride away from the domain, an unnaturally massive flash of light eminated from the distant horizon, where their home lay far beyond, followed by a billowing, evil, dark, mushroom-like cloud hovering where once the tiniest slivers of land could be seen. Then, nothing, though some were supposedly blinded from being unfortunate enough to be taking one last forlorn glance back at the island at the time. As far as anyone could tell, the Admiral had gone down with the ship, so to speak. Kalen was somewhat shocked by this, though did not have much time to reflect on it as soon, their caravan was found by the Goddess Herself. It was then that Her holy blessing aided them in locating a strange, ancient, yet awe inspiring city that would soon become the basis of the Empire of Koridai. Despite the Admiral's seeming disdain for dieties, Kalen and Rafael could not help but find nothing but gratitude in their hearts for this blessing, though she for one did not quite understand how far some of the more fanatical followers took it. Evenso, she was grateful, enough to join the battles to cleanse this new land of the savages, heathens, and monsters that plagued it, all in the name of Her Holiness. Still, Kalen was more then a little hesitant to outright join the new Empire's military, as was Rafael, so despite the proddings of their former comrades-in-arms and even underlings, they stayed away, wandering somewhat listlessly in the streets of the Arbiter's Grounds. Kalen situated herself in a hotel of sorts that an intrepid refugee had managed to (rather impressively) set up in the months after settling in, and essentially spent her days meeting up with Rafael and taking odd jobs around the city, from aiding in construction efforts to slaying the beasts that roamed the areas outside of the city's walls, to ensure the spread of the settlers beyond tower itself. Naturally, this was a rather hollow existance, as was obvious to all around them. One day, on her way back to her room at the inn, Kalen was stopped by a tall, massive man on horseback, who she initially ignored but could not help but listen to. He minced no words, but made it clear that he wanted to see her the next day nearby the Arbiter's Grounds itself. This was the former seadog's first meeting with Drake Uni Amirales himself, the man Kalen would find herself loyal to. Drake was a man of mysterious origins who for one reason or another had gotten into Her Holiness' good graces and been made part of Her Quadrate, the ruling body of Koridai beneath the Goddess. Upon arrival at the building - or rather, a construction site that would one day be a rather elaborate and impressive complex - Kalen saw she was not alone, as Rafael and eight other men and women were there, ranging from lithe and thin, to tall and massive, all summoned by the General Magnus. He wasted no words, as with a bizzare combination of arrogant disdain and charismatic compliments he offered them positions as the leaders for his new group he was forming, as a specialized unit within the greater Koridai military itself. Normally, this would have been yet another offer she would have turned down, but something about the way Drake presented it, and a strange, unknown feeling welling up within her compelled her to agree. As such, on that day, the beginnings of the Vanguard were formed, as the raven haired warrior hand picked soldiers and troops from amongst the populace of Koridai - not all military, to be fair - into her unit. The extra training was brutal, beyond even what she had experienced in the Crimson Corps, so much that some of the picked members had to drop out, a few of the commanders even falling to the wayside as their own trainees ironically outshined them in the training regiment. She was determined to make it through, suffering through the pain filled nights where torture wracked her mind and soul, but it would be all worth it. Rumors still persist that several of the mad vagabonds in the streets are in fact the failed trainees of the military's training, broken husks of men and women who could not deal with the physical, emotional, and/or spiritual stress of training, which most are quick to dispell. Some have been curious enough to ponder whatever occured to those who failed to live up to the Vanguard's even stricter training. Answers have never been very forthcoming regarding that issue. All the same, Kalen made it through the training, and was happy to see that Rafael had as well, as Drake presented his new Vanguard Commanders to Her Holiness Herself, who had the graciousness to attend the unveiling and christening of the no complete Vanguard Headquarters. The strong warrior nontheless felt intimidated and pleased, as both her Savior and her Commanding Officer gave her praise in their own unique way, the former rather lavishly and over-the-top, the latter restrained and just barely visible in his by the books method. Though it should be noted that the Tiny Goddess never did, and still hasn't, ever pronounced her name correctly. It's "kehl-lun", for the record. All the same, now Kalen lives as a warrior of the Empire, a blade in the hands of the Magnus Drake, ready to serve and protect this great, holy land. Well. She did anyway. Personality and Appearance Kalen, despite the grime and blood that covered her form for her first few years of life away from the bandits, had actually grown into an attractive, tall young woman, only revealed once she cleaned herself up at the Fortress. Incredibly toned to the point of being "ripped" yet remaining slender and feminine, her most striking feature is her deep, blue eyes, accented by the deep scar she has crossing over her left eye - a trophy of sorts from her early days as a warrior on the high seas. Tanned from her days on the Lalvician, she's still somewhat pale in skin tone, with her raven hair and curvaceous, hard bodied appearance catching the eye of many on-lookers in both the Fortress and the Empire. However, she's far from ever reciprocating any advances towards her. Beyond her intense loyalty to her comrades in arms, and her perhaps questionable fanatic obsession with Drake, she's a very stoic, sullen woman with a strong sense of irony, though she has flashes of compassion and caring amongst her fellow commanders. Still, she's rather serious to a fault, keeping to herself when off duty, though she's been known to be coaxed by Cif and Rochelle into strolling about, and will meet up with Rafael for conversations and discussion. Additionally, Kalen is still somewhat uncomfortable with all the strict regimented order of the ranks, and can and does notably slip back into her "piratey" way of speech when aggravated or in the rare times she's excited. Typically she wears her navy Vanguard commander uniform in and about the Vanguard Headquarters and a somewhat more fanciful, robed version at times, usually for social functions. In battle she has her full set of armor, similar in design to Drake's in design but with her own ornate crest, which all of her uniforms share. Otherwise, Kalen dresses in a pair of slacks, boots, and sleeveless shirt with a vest, usually with lightly armored gloves and elbow pads when not on duty, though people rarely ever see her in this guise. In war, she wields her signature Claymore, sweeping across foes like lightning with the massive weapon in her expert hands, though like all the other members of the Vanguard she is well versed in other weaponry. Unlike the rest of the commanders and even Drake himself, Kalen, along with Rafael, refuse to name their weapons - the Admiral had long ago instilled within them the belief that it was not the weapon, but the wielder that mattered in a fight. Suffice to say, Kalen almost seems like she's disappointed that her commanding officer has a named blade. Relationships Drake Kalen, to not beat around the bush, has an incredibly loyal but most assuredly unhealthy borderline obsession with the General Magnus. Given her emotional development (or lack thereof) it's likely even the warrior herself does not completely understand her fascination with Drake, or even that it might be anything more then being a loyal soldier. While not acting like a weak willed wimpering dog following an abusive master, her obedience is essentially guaranteed - even if she questions any suspicious requests, in the end she will happily comply. She believes his agenda to be the ultimate goal, and also falls in line with his belief system regarding integrity and responsibility above all, even at the expense of honor or morality. Rafael Her fellow Fortress survivor is seen as her closest confidant, and is Kalen's most trustworthy ally. Anyone else would happily refer to the relationship as a best friend, but as she sees it, he's just a comrade she can trust above all else. Category:Citizens of The Forsaken Fortress Category:Citizens of Koridai